Shock absorber



Aug. 1, 1933.

R. F. PEO

SHOCK ABSORBER Filed May 4, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 1, 1933.

R. F. PEO' SHOCK ABSORBER Filed May 4, 1931 64 WHZ 3 4 Sheets-Sheet 2Aug. 1 1933. F, P 1,920,273

SHOCK ABSORBER Filed Ma 4, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet s III Aug. 1, 1933. PEO1,920,273

' SHOCK ABSORBER Filed May 4, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Aug. 1,,1933 "UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE snoox ansoaana Ralph F. Poe, Bulfalo,N. Y., assignor to Honde Engineering Corporation, Buffalo, N. Y., a'Corporation of New York nssuro.

Application May 4, 1931. Serial No. 534,724

3 Claims. (01. 188-89.)

means for regulating 'orcontrolling the amount of liquid which may passback and forth between the high and lower pressure ends of a workingchamber to suit the particular installation of the instrument, thecharacter of the resistance liquid employed or other conditions.

In. the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section of a hydraulic shock absorbertaken on line 1-1 Fig. 2 and showing one form of my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same taken on line2--2 Fig. l.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of apair of partitions or partitionsections connected by an annular locating member in accordance with thisinvention.

Figures 4; 5, 6 and 7 are fragmentary vertical sections taken on thecorrespondingly numbered lines in Fig. 1.

Figures 8 and 9 are fragmentary horizontal sections taken on lines 88and 9-9 Fig. 1,

respectively.

Figure 10 is a fragmentary vertical transverse section showing'amodified form of means for anchoring the annular partition locatingmember in the working chamber.

Figure 11 is a vertical longitudinal section of a hydraulic shockabsorber showing a modified form of the partition locating means.

Figure 12 is a vertical longitudinal sectiontaken on line 12-12 Fig. 11.

Figure 13 is a perspective view of the partitions and the means forlocating the same shown in Figs. 11 and 12.

Figure 14 is a vertical transverse section, on a reduced scale, showingmy invention embodied "in a hydraulic shock absorber having a singleworking chamber, piston and partition.

, Figure 15 is a vertical transverse section of a slightly difierentform of hydraulic shock absorber from that shown in Figs. 1-14embodyingmy invention, taken on line 1515 Fig. 16.

Figure 16 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same taken on line16-16 Fig. 15.-

In the followingdescription similar characters of reference indicatelike parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to the construction represented in Figs. 1--9, the nun eral20.represents the pe- 6o ripheral or circular wall of the body orenclosing casing of the shock absorber, the numeral 21 representsthefixed rear transverse'wall of this body and 22 the removable transversefront wall of the same, said rear .wall. being prefer- 6 ably formedintegrally with the peripheral wall 20 and the front transverse wallbeing preferably connected with the peripheral wall by means oi' 'ascrew joint 23.

This body is adapted to be mounted on one of the relatively movablepartsbetween'which the shock is to be absorbed, for instance the frameandaxle of an automobile, for which purpose the rear wall of the bodymay be provided with laterally projecting lugs 24 which are -bolted orotherwise'secured to this frame.

The cylindrical space within this housing or body is divided by twopartitions or partition sections 25, 26 whichare arranged ondiametrically opposite sidesoi the axis of the housing or body andpreferably above and -below this axis, as shown in- Fig. 1, therebydividing the space within the housing into semi-cylindrical workingchambers 27 and 28,. which are adaptedto contain a resistance liquid forabsorbing shock. The 35 partitions 25 and 26 have their opposing inner.ends separated from each other by an intervening gap containing'acircular hub 29 which bears with its periphery against the inner ends ofthe partitions 25 and 26 and is provided on diametricallyopposite sideswith pistons 30, 31 adapted to oscillate or move back and forth,respectively, in the working chambers 2'7 and 28. .At

its rear end the piston 29 is provided with a central bearing recess 32which receives a bearing pin 33 projecting forwardly from the rearcasing or body wall 21 and on its side this hub .is provided with aforwardly projecting shaft The two partitions 25 and 2e are held intheir proper position within the housing and in spaced relation withreference to each other so as to form the working chambers within thebody by means of a locating member 37 which is preferably of annular orring form, and in the construction shown in Figs. 1-9 has the form of afiat disk which engages with the inner or front side of the rear casinghead 21 and is connected on diametrically opposite sides of its centerwith the rear ends of the partitions 25, 26 and provided on its centralpart with a centering opening 38 which receives the bearing pin 33 onthe rear Wall of the casing;

This locating ring and the two partition sections arranged ondiametrically opposite parts thereof are preferably formed integrallyfrom any suitable material by die-casting or otherwise, so that the sameis in a practically finished state and may be slipped into the bore ofthe casing and the same is ready for use and require little,-if any,machining or fitting in order to 'put the same in shape for cooperationwith the other parts of the shock absorber which engage therewith. It ispreferable to employ zinc as the material for making the integrallocating ring 3'7 and the partitions 25 and 26 but if desired othermaterials may be used, such as aluminum, brass, bronze, bakelite orsimilar materials which are capable of this method of fabricationa Thepistons 30 and 31 engage at their outer ends with the bore of theperipheral wall20 of the casing, the front sides of the same engage withthe inner side of the front head 22 and the rear sides of the partitionsengage with the inner or front side of the disk shaped locating ring 3'?which connects the partitions. The piston bears with its rear endagainst the inner or front side of the locatingring 3'7 and with itsfront end against the inner side of the front head 22. R0- tation of thepartitions and the locating ring connecting the same is prevented bymeans whereby these parts are interlocked with each other. The form ofthese interlocking means,

' shown in Figs. 1 and 2, consists of longitudinal dowels or joint pins39, each of which crosses the joint between the outer end of one of thepartitions and the adjacent part of the bore of the peripheral wall 20and is fitted in a cylindrical seat formed partly in the bore of theperipheral wall by means of a semi-cylindrical groove' 40, and partly inthe outer end of the respective partition by means of semi-cylindricalgroove 41 formed in the latter so that these opposing grooves 40 and 41together produce a cylindrical seat which corresponds to the cylindricalform of the locking pin or dowel 31 which is fitted tightly therein.

The connection of the partitions by means of the locating ring which isformed integrally therewith permits of definitely positioning thepartitions within the casing and also anchoring the same therein so thatthe same are not likely to become displaced relatively to each other.Furthermore the mounting of the partitions within the body in thismanner can be accomplished by preliminarily die-casting the partitionsand the locating ring as an integral unit and also fastening thesemembers within the casing by comparatively simple means, therebymaterially reducing the machining which has heretofore been necessaryfor this purpose and reducing the cost of the instrument as a wholeaccordingly.

In order to reduce the amount of material in the partitions 25 and 26the same are preferably made of hollow form and in the preferredconstruction these partitions are provided in their rear parts withcavities 42, 43 which are open at the rear ends of these partitionswhile the front ends of these partitions are closed by means of blocksor webs 44,45 which serve as valve housings as will appear later on. Bythus hollowing the partitions a considerable amount of metal or othermaterial is saved of which these partitions and the locating ring aremade, and thereby effecting an economy in the manufacture of the same.

During the oscillating movement of the pistons in the working chambersas the frame and axle of the body move toward and from each other whilethe car is in operation, some of the resistance liquid is permitted topass back and forth between the high and low pressure ends of oneworking chamber, and the high and low pressure ends of the other workingchamber by means of a high pressure balancing passage 47 formeddiametrically in the hub and connecting the high pressure ends of'theworking chambers, and a low pressure balancing passage 46 formeddiametrically in the hub and connecting the low pressure ends of theworking chambers, as shown'in Figs. 1 and 2.

During the low pressure strokes of the pistons some of the resistanceliquid is free to pass through the lower partition 26 from the lower orlow pressure end of the working chamber 28 to the lower or high pressureend of the working chamber 2'7, but during the high pressure strokes ofthe pistons a reverse movement of the resistance liquid throughthispartition 26 from the lower or high pressure end of the workingchamber 27 to the lower or low pressure end of the working chamber 28 isprevented by means of a check valve device which preferably consists ofa valve chamber 48 arranged lengthwise in the lower housing 45 andhaving a central valve seat 49, and opening at its rear end into thepocket or cavity 43, while its front end opens to the front side of therespective partition 26, an outlet passage 50 formed on the front sideof the partition 26 and extending laterally from the valve chamber 48 tothe lower end of the working chamber 27, and an inlet passage 51extending from the cavity 43 through the lower partition 26 to the lowerend of the working chamber 28, as shown I in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 9.

Within the valve chamber 48 is arranged a check valve 52 preferably ofthe ball type which is movable toward and from the seat 49, this ballbeing slightly smaller in diameter than the width of the valve, chamber48 and also less in diameter than the distance from the valve seat 49 tothe inner side of the front head 22. It follows from this that duringthe low pressure strokes of the pistons the check valve 52 will beforced away from its seat and permit liquid to pass from the lower endof the working chamber 28 through the passage 51, valve chamber 48 andpassage 50 into the lower end of the working chamber 27; but during thereverse movement of these pistons the check valve 52 will engage theseat 49 and prevent a return flow of the resistance liquid through thesepassages 50 and 51 and the valve chamber 48, thereby causing the liquidto offer a greater resistance to the movement of the pistons during thehigh pressure strokes than during the low pressure strokes and therebygovern the shock absorbing action of the instrument accordingly.

This manner of constructing the check valve device in the lowerpartition is materially simplified compared with the means heretoforeemployed for this purpose, thereby effecting a substantial economy inmanufacture.

In order to adapt the instrument for absorbing shocks of diflerent loadsand also permit of using resistance liquidof different kinds, regulatingor metering means are provided which permit some of the resistanceliquid to flow back and forth between the working chambers to suit theparticular installation and also the character of the liquid which isused. Although various means may be employed for this P se, those shownin the drawings are preferable and are constructed as follows:

' The numeral 53 represents an upright valve chamber formed in thehousing 44 of the upper partition 25 and opening through the top thereofand provided between its upper and lower ends with an upwardly facingvalve seat 54. The lower and of this valve chamber 53 is connected bymeans of a passage 55 with the upper end of the working chamber 28 andabove the valve seat 54 the valve chamber 53 is connected by means of alateral port 58 with the upper end of the working chamber 27. Within thevalve chamber 53 is arranged a valve stem 57 which isprovided with aregulating or metering valve 58 which is movable toward and from thevalve seat 54 for regulating the freedom of movement ,of the resistanceliquid through the metering or regulating passages 55 and 56 and thevalve chamber 53.

The position of this metering or regulating valve relative to its seat54 may be adjusted by an external screw thread 59 on the upper partthereof which engages with a correspondingly threaded opening 60 in theupper part of the peripheral wall 20 of the casing or body, whichthreaded opening 60 is vertically in line with the valve chamber 58.This valve stem may be turned by engaging a screw driver or similarinstrument. with a nick 61 in the upper end of the I valve stem, andafter such adjustment this metering valve is held in position by meansof a clamping nut 62 working on the upper threaded end thereof andengaging with the top of the peripheral wall 20.

For the purpme of replenishing the working chambers with the resistanceliquid when reuh-ed, means are provided which include a reservoir orreplenishing chambercii which is arranged .on top. of the peripheralwall 20. and adapted to be filled through an opening in its top which isnormally closed by a cover 64. The resistance liquid is conveyed fromthis replenishing chamber or reservoir to the working chambers by anannular passage 65 formed between the periphery of the front casing head22 and the bore of the peripheral wall 20 at the front ends of theseparts, inlet passages 66 connecting opposite ends of the replenishingreservoir 63 with the upper parts of the annular passage 65, a checkvalve chamber'S'l connecting the annular passage 65 with the, upper partof the working chamber 2'1 and containing a check valve 68 which openstoward the respective working chamher but closes away from the same, asshown in Fig. 4, and a check valve chamber 69- connecting the lower partof the annular passage 65 with'the lower part of the working chamber 28and containing a check valve 70 which opens toward the respectiveworking chamber but closes away from thesame, as shown in Fig. 7. v

It follows from this construction that during v the high pressurestrokes of the pistons in the sure ends of the working chambers if adeficiency of liquid exists in these chambers; but during the lowpressure or reverse strokes of these pistons the check valves 68 and 70will -close and prevent the return of any of the resistance liquid fromthe working chambers past formed in the upper part of the front wall 22,and.

extending from the upper part of the working chamber 28 to the annularpassage 65, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5.

Any liquid which may creep forwardly between the bearing surfaces of theshaft 34 and the bearing 35 is intercepted by means of a groove '72formed in the bore of the bearing 35 around the shaft 34 and conductedfrom this grooveby means of a radial passage '73 to the annular passage65 from which it is either returned to the working chambers or to thereplenishing cham her as circumstances require. 5

Instead of making the annular or ring shaped locating member whichconnects the upper and lower partitions 25 and 26 in the form of a fiatdisk,'as shown at 37 in Figs. 2 and 3, this annular or ring shapedlocating member may be constructed in the, form of a cylinder, as shownat '74 in Figs. 11 and 13. In this case the lo eating ring covers theentire inner peripheral surface of the wall 20, and the pistons 30, 31engage with the inner. cylindrical surface of the locating ring '74instead of engaging with the bore of the peripheral wall 20, and thepistons engage their front and rear sides with the front and rear walls22, 21 respectively. In other respects however the construction andoperation of the instrument is substantially like that shown anddescribed with reference to Figs. 1-9.

Instead of interlocking the- .-partitions with the peripheral wall ofthe casing by means ofdowels 39, as shown in Figs. 1-13, the same resultmay be accomplished by providing the cylindrical locating member 77 withone or more keys 75, each of which is preferably cast on the outer andthe cavity 43 toward opposite sides of the lower partition 26, therebyfacilitating the production of this instrument for functioning in eitherdirection without any added cost.

It is to be understood that the present improvements are not to beconfined to a shock absorber in which two partitions or partitionsections are employed for dividing the interior of the casing into twoworking chambers, but that a diiferentnumber of partitions may beemployed. For instance, in the organization shown in Fig. 14 thecylindrical locating ring '77 which corresponds to the locating ring 74shown in the construction of Figs. 11, 12 and 13, is provided with asingle partition 78 andthe hub '79 of the operating shaft is providedwith a single piston 80 which oscillates in the working chamber 81formed within the locating ring or member 77. The hub '79 is providedwith a balanc-.

ing passage 82 extending from one end of the working chamber to theother and the single piston 80 is provided with a check valve 83controlling a by-pass 84 therein so that during the low pressure strokeof this piston the liquid is free to pass from the low pressure end tothe high pressure end of the same, but during the high pressure strokethe resistance liquid in the working chamber is prevented from passingthrough this by-pass from the high pressure end of this working chamberto the low pressure end of the same.

In other respects this construction is substantially like that shown inFigs. 1-13.

. In the modified form of shock absorber embodying my improvements,variations in the means for anchoring the locating ring and partitionsections, the resistance liquid metering or regulating means and thecheck valved by-pass means, are provided as follows:

The numeral 85 represents two dowel pins or anchoring keys each of whichis arranged lengthwise in a horizontal opening 86 formed wholly withinthe inner part of each one of the partition sections 25 and projectingat its rear end into a recess 87 in the rear head or wall 21 of thebody,thereby not only preventing the partitions and locating ring fromturning but also reinforcing the partitions against lateral strains. andstrengthening the connection between the same and the body.

The resistance metering means in the construction shown in Figs. 15 and16 comprise a longitudinal valve chamber 88 formed axially in the pistonhub 29 and the operating shaft 34 and provided near its rear end with aforwardly facing valve seat 89, high pressure ports 90 arrangedtransversely in the hub and connecting the metering valve chamber inrear of the valve seat 89 with the high pressure ends of the workingchambers, low pressure ports 91 arranged transversely in the hub andconnecting the metering valve chamber in front of the valve seat 89 withthe low pressure ends of the working chambers, and a metering orregulating valve 92 adjustable relatively to the valve seat 89 forregulating the flow of resistance liquid back and forth between the highand low pressure ends of the working chambers to suit difierentconditions, which adjustment is effected by a valve stem 93 arrangedlengthwise in the valve chamber and has a screw connection 94therewith'and carries the valve 92 at its rear end while its front endprojects beyond,

the front end of the operating shaft where the same is accessible formanipulation.

In this last mentioned construction the lower partition section 25 isnot provided with a check valved by-pass but the upper partition sectionis provided with a check valve by-pass which is constructed and operatessubstantially like the check valve by-pass in the lower partition 25 ofthe form shown in Figs. 1- l3 and the same reference characters aretherefore applied to the corresponding parts.

The operation ot the shock absorber shown in Figs. 15 and 16 issubstantially the same as that .wall of a working chamber which isadapted to contain a resistance liquid, said partition being open at oneend and closed at the other, a locating ring formed integrally with saidpartition and engaging the interior of said body and a piston adapted tooscillate in said working chamber.

2. A hydraulic shock absorber comprising a hollow body having a circularinner side, a partition arranged within the body and forming a wall of aworking chamber which is adapted to contain a resistance liquid, saidpartition having a cavity at one end, a housing closing its oppositeend, a passage leading from said cavity to one side of said partition; avalve chamber arranged in said housing and opening to the outer end ofthe same and provided with a valve seat, an outlet port formed on theouter side of said housing and leading to the other side of saidpartition and an inlet port in said housing leading from the valve seatto said cavity, a check valve arranged in said valve chamber and movabletoward and from said seat, a locating ring formed integrally with saidpartition and engag ing the interior of said body, and a piston adaptedto oscillate in said working chamber.

3. A hydraulic shock absorber comprising a hollow body having a circularinner side, a partition arranged within the body and forming a wall of aworking chamber which is adapted to contain a resistance liquid, saidpartition having a cavity at one end, a housing at its opposite end, avalve chamber in said housing provided with a valve seat and portsleading from opposite sides of said valve seat to opposite sides of saidpartition, a valve stem having an adjusting connection at its outer endwith said body and a valve at its inner end which is movable toward andfrom said valve seat, and a piston adapted to oscillate in said workingchamber.

RALPH F. POE;

Patent No; 1,920,213.; I August :1, 19335 CERTIFICATE: o1 CORRECTION.

It is herebyr cert if iedthat the dame of the "patentee in the abovenumbered, patent was'erroneously written and prjhted asv"Ralph F. Poe",whereas said home should have been written and printed as Ralph Poo":and that the sai'dmLetters Potent should be read with thisfcorr'e'ctiontherein that. the .same

may conform to the record of the case in the Paiteut Office, Signed andsealed this'29th day of August, D. 1933.

M. J. Moore.

-(Sealj) Aottng Commissioner of Paten'tp

